User reviews

Okay, even I'll admit that this is not one of the most spectacular animated films even made, but that doesn't take away from how much I love it. The characters are lovable and interesting, even Clara's family keeps our attention. This movie is a wonderful holiday film for all ages, filled with humor, adventure, and a little romance. It was about time the Nutcracker had a back story and a name. And for once he wasn't ten years older than Clara with a beard and cape (a cape that's always there when he's a nutcracker yet rarely there when he comes to life). I enjoyed how Uncle Drosselmeier's story was presented in a more comical style of animation. And it ends the way all children (especially little girls) always wanted it to end.

I wouldn't say it's absolutely perfect but it tells the nutcracker story well and the animation is really beautiful. I remember I legit thought it was a Disney movie by the animation.

It's a nice wholesome film and I'd recommend watching it on a cozy Christmas, especially if you have kids.

My favorite Christmas movie when I was little. It used to be shown on TV on the morning of Christmas Day where I live. It's both intense and emotional. It has beautiful music and a convincing way of showing a past time which is recognizable even to children. It's a bit old now and the animation never was the best, but to me it just adds to the feeling.

The Nutcracker Prince was the first (and last) big-screen movie that was helmed by Kevin Gillis and Sheldon Wiseman, the creators of the cartoon series The Raccoons. Along with big names like Megan Follows, Kiefer Sutherland and Peter O'Toole, it also featured many of the voice talents of The Raccoons, such as Len Carlson, Susan Roman, Liz Hanna, Noam Zylberman and Keith Hampshire (who sadly passed away in 2000). Unfortunately, it didn't become the box office success everyone hoped for, and it flopped. This is a shame, because The Nutcracker Prince is a movie that should be seen. It wasn't just a good opportunity for the animators to show their talents, but it was also a triumph of Canadian moviemaking. The music of Tchaikovsky was put to very good use here, and the song "I'll Always Come Back To You" should have been nominated for a Genie (Canada's version of the Oscar) for Best Song.

If you can find a copy of it on video (it's hard to find nowadays), see it. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: ***

When I was a kid, this was one of my childhood favourites, I loved it. Watching it again, I still do, it is a really sweet and charming film, that is perfect for Christmas time.

I have read critical reviews, though not on IMDb, that said that the animation was shoddy, and I wholeheartedly disagree. Sure I have seen better animation, but I do think people need to remember when it was made(1990), and that it is lower in budget to other animated gems like Beauty and the Beast. The colours weren't too bad and the backgrounds were nice to look at.

One of the main things I like about The Nutcracker Prince is the story. The timeless story by ETA Hoffmann is a truly wonderful one, and out of all the adaptations of the story I've seen, including countless productions of the ballet, short cartoons, and the Barbie movie(which I admit I really like, despite the fact I am 17), The Nutcracker Prince is actually the most faithful to the story, having the story of Princess Pirlipat and all that. Yes, there are one or two gruesome scenes, but the story version I have has a very malevolent description of the Mouse King, so that is forgiven. Plus this Mouse King was one I enjoyed watching, funny and scary at the same time, and a character who got so much abuse from his mother.

My favourite aspect of the movie was the music by Tchaikovsky, the sparkling motifs from his beautiful ballet score are bound to stay with you forever. What I liked about it was how they used it in the film, it was very clever, and very appropriate. Tchaikovsky is one of my favourite composers, and a very important one in the development of ballet, but he brought staggering contributions also to symphony, concerto and opera. I am so thankful that they didn't miss out the music entirely, otherwise this gem of a film wouldn't have such an effect on me. Just for the record, this was actually the film, that introduced me to Tchaikovsky's music, and that is the reason why it is so special to me.

The voice cast was terrific, especially Kiefer Sutherland as the Nutcracker Prince, and Megan Follows is lovely beyond words as Clara. Also worth of note is Peter O'Toole as Pantoloon, I thought he was excellent, almost certainly one of the best voice actors involved in the movie. Everyone else was very good too, particularly Peter Beretski in a perfect performance as Drosselmeir and they were further advantaged by a very good script, that is surprisingly faithful to Hoffmann's story.

Overall, a beautiful gem. 10/10 Bethany Cox.

Between school field trips and TV performances (my parents were big PBS fans), I've seen "The Nutcracker" several times, but I've never understood it. Why is that girl so happy to get a nutcracker; does she eat a lot of nuts? Where did the giant mice come from? Why is that woman trying to smuggle children under her skirt (and why doesn't anyone seem concerned about that)?

I came across this video during a babysitting gig. It looked harmless enough. I watched it while the kid slept.

The movie is awful; bad music, stilted dialogue, bad animation. Still, by the end, I understood the basic plot of The Nutcracker, something that had eluded me for years. I recommend it for that reason alone.

It's a pity that this film didn't have the consideration it merites. The plot and the beautiful Tchaicovsky music are so well armonized I found it a piece as enjoyable for adults than for children. It's a nice movie full of sentiments and emotions. It's not the classical adventure movie you forget immediately it ends. This one really makes you feel emotions you keep long ago the movie has ended. I'll give it a 10.

The Nutcracker Prince follows Clara during Christmas where she receives the gift of a nutcracker from her godfather, Uncle Drosselmeier. After her Uncle regales her with a story of how the nutcracker came to be, Clara finds herself involved in the confrontation between the nutcracker prince and the vengeful rat king.

Released in 1990 to poor reviews and box office failure, The Nutcracker Prince was an attempt by Canadian TV animation studio Lacewood Productions to make a feature length theatrical film. While the animation can look nice (at times), the movie never maintains a consistent tone and struggles with pacing and story structure. But despite the movie's many faults, it is probably the most faithful and complete telling of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King that served as the source material for the endearing ballet.

The movie makes a decent enough impression with some decent character designs who are competently animated, but as the movie goes on the movie's usage of flat blurry backgrounds and barren environments become very obvious. The movie has numerous scenes that are eerily empty, even when that shouldn't be the case. To make up for this, the movie haphazardly integrates the Nutcracker suite as part of the soundtrack, and while it can sometimes work, often times it feels like a way to add life to the scene to make up for a lack of life in the animation. The movie also takes an abrupt style change around the 15 minute mark when it tells the Nutcracker's backstory, and in an attempt to soften the darker moments from the source material the animation style mimics a simplistic more geometric style one associates with something like Jay Ward's Fractured Fairy Tales which completely takes us out of the story and just calls attention to itself. The sequence goes on for a while dealing with characters who have no bearing on the rest of the movie and no real purpose, and the actual plot of the movie doesn't start until around 48 minutes into this 68 minute movie (not including 5 minutes of credits).

The Nutcracker Prince just doesn't work. It doesn't have plot, characters, or stakes strong enough to carry itself to feature length, and its technical aspects seem more suited for television than a cinema (save for some individual moments here and there). I do give the movie credit for avoiding contemporaneous dialogue and trying to approach the Nutcracker from a different direction, but the movie just doesn't come together.

Wow, this is great. I can't believe that so many official movie critics disliked this film. It is amazing, will work for everyone as a family movie. It doesn't have the bordom involved with watching the same ballet every year, that would turn kids off to this classic story. The movie deserves more recondition, more praise, anything to help get the word out of how good it is.

It's about time E.T.A. Hoffman's tale of The Nutcracker and The Mouse King got a faithful adaptation. As one of the what, three people that have actually read the story - it's delightful to see the tale faithfully told, and told for children. In keeping with the tradition started with the Tchaikovsky ballet, it keeps the story light and suitable for children, without leaving out the main themes of the tale. The Hoffman story can be pretty gruesome at places, but this film manages to keep all the details (down to the Krakatuk nut!) in place, without taking away from the charm. They've managed to take some of the ugliest parts and present them comically - which is not an easy task. Good for them! A very good script, wonderful voicework (hey, I didn't know Megan Follows can sing) and just an overall sweet movie. Yes the animation isn't the greatest, but oh, who really cares? It's still a great movie.

This film was my favorite as a child and even watching it as and adult I love. There are only so many that can do that. I'm sure we all wish there was a little more of a love story between the two, but for a children's film its perfect. They don't want too much sappy stuff in there. I also love this type of animation, I hate this pixar crap, it bugs me. I miss the old stuff, like care bears and rainbowbrite. So anyway in conclusion, this is a great holiday classic for the whole family. If you would like to watch it, they have it on youtube or u can just purchase it on amazon.

I hope u enjoy it as much as I have

The movie is worth seeing simply for the music. Tchaikovsky composed some of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard. The use of the music in this animated film is gloriously woven into the storyline. The story is captivating with delightful characters. A great film to introduce children to joys of Tchaikovsky's music.

The Nutcracker is another Christmas story I love besides L. Frank Baum's "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus." This film, which is based on the story by German author E. T. A. Hoffman, was straight out of my childhood.

The story starts on Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum household, where Karl and Ingrid Stahlbaum are enjoying the new tree with their three children, Louise, Clara, and Fritz. After opening their presents, guests start to arrive for the Christmas party. One guest in particular is Uncle Drosselmeir, who gives the family an intricate toy castle and gives Clara a Nutcracker. Uncle Drosselmeir warns her that this is no ordinary Nutcracker. Uncle Drosselmeir tells her that the Nutcracker used to be a human boy, and his nephew was named Hans; but after Hans broke a spell the Mouse Queen had placed over a princess, he had been cursed by the Mouse Queen to become a Nutcracker Prince. At first, it all seems like just another fairy tale to Clara. And though she does enjoy a good fairy tale, they are just that-stories. That night, after everyone has gone to bed, Clara steals downstairs to dance with her new Nutcracker. But suddenly the Mouse King appears, intent on extracting revenge on the Nutcracker Hans for toppling a statue on his tail when Hans was turned into a nutcracker and collapsed. And right then, before Clara's eyes, the Nutcracker comes to life, thus starting a strange, dream-like war between dolls and mice. And that's all I could tell you, folks; you will have to see the film for yourself to see how it ends.

My family used to rent the film on video for Christmas. I had watched it, and I loved it. Of course, years later, I was lucky to find (and buy) a copy of the film at a used video/audio shop. I still watch the film near Christmas, and I still love this wonderfully animated film after all these years. As I've said many times, I don't have a favorite scene because I love the whole film, from beginning to end. I love Clara, her kitten Pavlova, and the budding romance between her and her Nutcracker Prince. I also love the music from Tchaikovsky's ballet rendition that is used throughout the film as the main instrumental soundtrack, and as I always say, I love a film with a good soundtrack.

This story is something you will cherish! The villan in this movie is by far the best part. He is truly an unforgetable character and because of that you will be hoping Clara can somehow see this enemy finally banished from their world forever! Loved this movie

I saw this movie a very long time ago and I loved it. I remember I had taped it off HBO or something like that, and I watched it all the time. Just yesterday I went to see the actual ballet, and it wasn't half as good as this enchanting little movie. I was very dissapointed with the ballet, it wasn't bad, it just did'nt follow of what I remember from this movie, a lot of things were different. But since I haven't read the book, maybe the ballet was more on track than this movie. But anyway the movie was much more entertaining than the actual ballet. Even though I am not trying to compare the movie to the ballet, because they are tottaly different things.

I still listen to the Pas de Deux and get emotional because of this movie.

I have always enjoyed the Nutcracker ballet and musical score. I have read the first story 'THe Nutcracker And the Mouse King', so seeing that this cartoon references from the original material is nice. It is visually a good cartoon (for being 1990) and has voice acting that is enjoyable. There are some 'dark' moments that might frighten much smaller or sensitive children, but overall, I recommend for Christmas cartoon lineups.

The Nutcracker Prince was an enjoyable if a little short animated movie based on the book "The Nutcracker & the Mouse King" with the music from the Tchaikowsky ballet.

But the short running time does not harm the movie overall, because it is a fairy-tale where everything is not bound to have long explanations or deep complex characters, and judging it on those terms makes it a very well done and highly enjoyable story.

The animation pretty in its own merits with its warm colour palette and surprisingly well done character animation with both realisitic movement from the human characters and more exaggerated on the inhuman ones. But the best part animationwise was in the land of the dolls where the small screen magic shines and provokes your imagination.

The Nutcracker Prince is recommendable fairy-tale fare for the kids even if it has its scary parts of fantasy violence which may frighten some younger viewers. Enjoy the magic and the stellar voice cast of Kiefer Sutherland, Peter O'Tool, Phyllis Diller among others.

Despite this released in America under the WB Logo, Warner Bros. is unjustly ignoring this lost hidden gem. Yes, it's not as perfect, but then again, nothing is ever perfect. However, compared to Nutcracker & the Four Realms, I'd rather go back and revisit this movie rather than the flop of a live action remake.